Cabo's Island Grill And Bar Tallahassee

In 1994 after my high school graduation, I went to this tiny hole in the wall restaurant known as Cabo's. I was thrilled to go to their establishment for the first time as I had been eating tacos from their tiny taco stand long before that. I remember my parents asking me why we were going to this little unknown restaurant versus a posh place like Olive Garden. The restaurant was loud, the seats were dingy looking and to the average person this was not a good place to eat. Then the waitress greeted me by name, put me in my favorite booth and gave me my order without even asking what it was. My parents were shocked. The food was superb and we, as a family, had become patrons for life. My family continued to eat there. Sunday brunch was our favorite. Cabo's continued to evolve as I matured. The staff were there when I graduated from college and once again when I got my first full time "real" job. I introduced my future husband to my family in their corner booth. And I announced my engagement there. As I continued to grow, so did Cabo's. I remember being pregnant and only being able to consume their baked tofu during my morning sickness. That's when I learned that they had started offering a To Go service. It was one of the few items that I could keep down and it absolutely had to have their syrup on it. I had to have it fresh daily. I did this for months. Then my husband had a brain injury and was sensitive to the loud sounds of Cabo's. The staff worked with me by placing us in their corner booth, pushing my order to the front and helping me exit as quickly as possible. I've seen them work with Alzheimer's patients and people with Cerebral Palsy too. It maybe a loud restaurant (they've changed this by putting up sound barriers) but the compassion from the staff more than makes up for it. When my son was born, I remember nursing him in their booths and no one batted an eye. They simply embraced my son as yet another patron of their restaurant. This was before nursing in public was socially acceptable and Cabo's was one of the few places that actually welcomed nursing mothers. My son became your typical two year old. Following tradition, our waitress moved us to the booth with the saltwater fish. My son spent hours standing on their stool with his hands touching the glass. I remember wondering how many children had touched this fish tank. Once again Cabo's was growing. Fast forward to today and my son is now ten. My son proudly orders from the brunch menu- tofu and syrup (am I surprised?). Cabo's now has a bar, on the opposite side of their restaurant. The duct tape on the booths is gone, the murals have been painted over and the millions of menus that children like mine have drawn on are no longer taped on the wall. Cabo's has evolved too. Cabo's is not about a brand name, it's like that very relaxed very imperfect non judgmental welcoming relative that we all have. The one that doesn't wear a tie, that smiles and guarantees good food, great times and fantastic service. Thank you Cabo's for a lifetime of memories. Best restaurant ever.